Rare nissan sells for £701k – more than vintage Ferraris as collectors had bidding war for boy racer

A 25-year-old Nissan sold for half a million pounds more than many vintage Ferraris at an online auction this week.

The Nissan Skyline R33 GT-R Nismo 400R went for £701,400 after what London-based Collecting Cars called ‘an unbelievable bidding war’ on Monday 8 May.

The coveted 1998 model is described as ‘amazingly rare’ and fewer than 50 are believed to have been built. The specific car was number 40 of the stated production run of 40 cars.

Collecting Cars said: ‘For around £200,000 to £250,000 you can currently buy a very serviceable 1960s Ferrari 250 GTE or 330 GT.’

The iconic car is instantly recognizable in movies and at another auction this month, a 2000 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R driven by Paul Walker in Fast & Furious 4 sold for £1 million.

Vintage Ferraris sell for ‘around £200,000 to £250,000 less’ than this Japanese speedster model

A 2000 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R driven by Paul Walker in Fast & Furious 4 sold for £1 million

Specifically, the 400R has a more ‘aggressive aesthetic’ than standard models and is recognizable by its wider track, flared wheel arches plus its deeper front bumper and ducted side skirts.

The ‘R’ in the name stands for ‘racing’, aided by its top speed of 300km/h, while also featuring a number of other upgrades compared to a standard R33 GT-R.

The odometer on the car reads 61,868 km (38,436 miles), which is backed up by an extensive service history from new.

The auction was also available to US bidders for the first time, as the car has been banned there for decades. However, the race car will soon be eligible for import under a new 25-year rule – allowing the vehicle to be allowed into the country because it is ‘collectible’.

Collecting Cars’ Ed Callow said: ‘While you pay more for a perfect competition-winning car, the values ​​are still a world away from what the winning bidder paid for this 1998 Nissan Skyline GT-R Nismo 400R.

“Many will not even know of its existence, and even fewer will ever have seen one on the road.

“In terms of cars, the Nismo 400R is a unicorn, so when one comes on the market, those collectors who have the means to buy one will sit up and pay attention.

“This car had already reached its reserve of £550,000, but it rose well above that value by more than 25 per cent.

Coveted 1998 model described as ‘amazingly rare’ with less than 50 built

The ‘R’ in the 400R stands for ‘racing’ which is supported by its top speed of 300 km/h

The auction was also available to US bidders for the first time, as the car has been banned there for decades

Notably, the 400R has a ‘more aggressive aesthetic’ than standard models and is recognizable by its wider track

Under the hood is a 2.8-liter RB-X GT2 six-cylinder in-line twin-turbocharged engine with an output of up to 400 hp

In the end, it was just two collectors from two different continents who fought for the right to own this revered 1990s performance car.

“We have sold over 500 Ferraris on Collecting Cars, but very few with a price higher than this coveted 1990s Nissan.”

Collecting Cars says the Nissan was presented in correct specs for the period, with very well documented low mileage from new.

They report, “Under the hood is a twin-turbocharged 2.8-liter RB-X GT2 six-cylinder, producing up to 400 horsepower and 346 lb-ft of torque, driving all four wheels through a five-speed manual transmission—making the 400R sprint from 0-100 km/h in just 4.0 seconds and with a top speed of 300 km/h.’

John Mayhead, editor of the Hagerty Price Guide and the British guru of classic car values, told us: ‘The standard R33 Nissan Skyline GT-R is a very special car and very collectable, but the 400R is the gold standard model of that one. generation.

‘This car, registered as the 40th in a stated production run of 40 cars, is what Hagerty calls a ‘bookend’ car, one of the very first or very last, which makes it even more desirable.

Interestingly, the seller makes it clear that the car was built in 1998, even though it was a 1999 model year car. That makes him 25 years old and eligible for importation into the US.

“The retail price of this car may seem like a lot of money, but it had the same car put up for sale earlier last year for £1.6 million.’